Provoked Gill blasts England for 'lacking spirit of game'
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First Post
26 minutes ago
- First Post
Morkel defends under-fire Indian bowlers, says playing five Tests right after IPL a challenge: 'It's a real test'
India bowling coach Morne Morkel also felt the Jasprit Bumrah-led attack performed much better on Day 3 of the fourth Test against England in Manchester, and came to the defence of debutant Anshul Kamboj, who has been criticised for his underwhelming pace. read more India bowling coach Morke Morkel defended the performance of the Jasprit Bumrah-led bowling unit after the third day's play in the fourth Test against England at Old Trafford. AP India bowling coach Morne Morkel admitted his bowlers are struggling to make an impact in the crucial fourth Test against England in Manchester, but felt playing a five-match Test series in England right after two months of the Indian Premier League was always going to be a challenge. Morkel reacted to India's dismal bowling performance on Day 3 at Old Trafford, which allowed England to end the day on a commanding 544/7. Joe Root headlined their dominant batting performance with a majestic 150 while four others, including captain Ben Stokes (77 not out), scored fifties. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD For India, spin-bowling all-rounders Washington Sundar (2/57) and Ravindra Jadeja (2/117) lead the way with a couple of wickets each while the pace trio of Jasprit Bumrah (1/95), Mohammed Siraj (1/113) and debutant Anshul Kamboj (1/89) collected a wicket each. 'It's a real test. We play three Test match series a lot and this is now our first time in a while we've done this with five. It shouldn't be excused, but in terms of conditioning, getting our guys conditioned and getting them ready for five Test series coming straight up after IPL, is sometimes an issue,' Morkel told reporters during the press conference after stumps. 'Much better today with the ball' The former South African pacer, however, added that the Indians bowled a lot better on the 'Moving Day' than they did on Thursday, when England had raced to 225/2 at stumps after following a 166-run opening stand between Zak Crawley and Ben Duckett. 'Much better today with the ball. I thought yesterday was a tough day for us in the office. We missed our lines, putting us slightly on the back foot, but I thought the way the boys responded this morning, especially Siraj and Bumrah with the ball, was good to see. 'And yeah, from there, you know, we tried our best with trying to create opportunities on a wicket played better than the first couple of days. Discipline and holding those lines were key. And that was something I think we missed on day one,' he added. Morkel also confirmed Bumrah and Siraj did suffer injury scares on Day 3, but were ultimately fine. 'Yeah, unfortunately, when we took the second new ball, Booms rolled his ankles going down the stairs. And then Siraj also, I think, rolled his foot in one of the footholds. But they seemed to be okay,' he continued. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Morkel extends support to debutant Kamboj As for Kamboj, who replaced the injured Akash Deep in the XI, clocking underwhelming speeds under 125kmph at Old Trafford on international debut, Morkel felt it was a learning curve for the 24-year-old Haryana pacer. 'Unfortunately, there's no place to hide. And, you know, we support him as best as we can, through conversations. But it's also for him, it's good learning. 'And I think everybody in the dressing room is constantly telling him to keep going and supporting him. That's part of international cricket, it's good to get a taste for it and know, moving forward, what he needs to do to play at this level. 'So, you know, it's through good conversations and just keep on supporting him. He can definitely bowl quicker,' Morkel added.
NDTV
an hour ago
- NDTV
Satwiksairaj Rankireddy/Chirag Shetty March Into China Open Semi-Finals; Unnati Hooda's Dream Run Ends
Indian badminton stars Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty continued their fine form on the global circuit, storming into the semifinals of the China Open with a commanding victory on Friday. However, the day brought mixed emotions for Indian fans as teenage sensation Unnati Hooda's fairy-tale run came to an end in the women's singles quarterfinals. Satwik and Chirag, the world No. 3 men's doubles pair, outplayed Malaysia's Ong Yew Sin and Teo Ee Yi in straight games, winning 21-18, 21-14 in just 40 minutes. The Indian duo, who have been one of the most consistent doubles teams this season, showcased their trademark aggressive play and seamless coordination throughout the match. With this victory, they improved their head-to-head record against the Malaysian duo to 7-3. The first game saw Satwik-Chirag race to an early lead, but Sin and Yi staged a brief comeback to close the gap. However, the Indians maintained their composure and clinched the game 21-18. In the second game, both pairs were neck-and-neck until 15-14 before Satwik and Chirag shifted gears, winning six consecutive points to seal the contest. This marks their fourth semifinal appearance of the year, and they will next face world No. 2 Aaron Chia and Soh Wooi Yik of Malaysia in what promises to be a high-voltage clash. On the other hand, 17-year-old Unnati Hooda's incredible journey in the tournament ended at the hands of Japan's world No. 4 Akane Yamaguchi. Unnati, who had stunned two-time Olympic medalist PV Sindhu in the pre-quarterfinals, went down 16-21, 12-21 in just 33 minutes. Despite her spirited effort, Unnati struggled to maintain momentum against Yamaguchi's relentless pace and precise shot-making. While she kept things close in the opening game, a series of quick points for Yamaguchi tilted the balance. The second game followed a similar pattern, with Yamaguchi's experience proving too much for the young Indian. With Unnati's exit, India's singles challenge in the tournament comes to an end. However, all eyes are now on Satwik and Chirag as they look to bring home another prestigious title.
Time of India
an hour ago
- Time of India
FIDE Women's World Cup to have an Indian winner for first time
In a historic moment for Indian chess, Koneru Humpy and Divya Deshmukh will compete in the FIDE Women's World Cup final, guaranteeing an Indian winner. Both players have secured spots in the next Women's Candidates tournament. Humpy's experience contrasts with Deshmukh's youthful aggression, setting the stage for a compelling final. Tired of too many ads? Remove Ads Tired of too many ads? Remove Ads Tired of too many ads? Remove Ads In a first for Indian chess , the FIDE Women's World Cup will have a winner from the country with Koneru Humpy and Divya Deshmukh set to fight it out in what could be anybody's game in the grand finale here on the first in the event's history that two Indians are facing each other in the final. Both Humpy and Deshmukh have qualified for the Women's candidates' tournament next year after reaching the final pure experience of playing big games, Humpy goes in the final as the favourite against compatriot held her nerves to score a come-from-behind victory in the semifinals over Tingjie Lei of China in the tiebreaker on Thursday, while Deshmukh defeated former world champion Zhongyi Tan -- also of China -- in the second game of the last-four stage Humpy, 38, was the winner of the world women's rapid tournament and also tied for first at the women's grand prix in recent times and she has proved yet again that age is just a number. Her grit and determination has not faded one bit in the past many years."It's one of the happiest moments for chess fans because now the title will go to India for sure. But of course, as a player, tomorrow will be quite a tough game as well -- Divya has played tremendously well in this whole tournament," Humpy told FIDE half the age of Humpy, International Master Deshmukh has already stunned as many as three players ranked in top ten in the event. Her first victim was second seed Jiner Zhu of China, before ousting D 19-year-old Nagpur-based Deshmukh then beat former women's world champion Zhongyi Tan of China in the semifinals."I just need some sleep and some food, these days have been so anxious for me," Deshmukh said after entering the final."I think I could have played much better. I was winning at a certain point and then it got complicated. I think I messed up in the middlegame and that I should have had a much smoother win," she said about her semifinal match."She put up such a great fight at a certain point. I was just doubting if it was just a draw -- I think I got lucky in the end."Humpy was stretched to the tiebreaker in the pre quarterfinals by former world champion Alexandra Kosteniuk of Switzerland and she followed it up with a clinical performance against Yuxin best, thus far, was reserved for the semifinals as she outclassed top seed Tingjei Lei of China in the five minutes' games after the players had reached a 3-3 deadlock."I played a bit shaky in the rapid, but she also gave a very good fight. It could have gone either way," Humpy said about her semifinal opponent."It was a very tough match. Initially, I played quite badly with the Black pieces and she always had the advantage. After the loss (in Game 3), it was a very difficult situation, but I was able to come back."Saturday's final will also be played over two classical games and if the results stand at 1-1, games of shorter duration will be played to determine the minimum take away for finishing second here is USD 35000 while the winner will take home USD additional bonus is qualification to the next Women's Candidates tournament in which both the Indians have reserved their seats now. The 8-player Candidates tournament will decide the challenger for reigning world champion Wenjun Ju of China in the next world women's championship has the ability to sit through long games without making mistakes. Deshmukh, on the other hand, has an attacking style. It is going to be a battle of wits in the final that starts after a lone rest day.
